Self Image
by Wolf With Morals
Summary: Peri tries to coax a very self-pitying Doctor from his room, this involves shouting, pleading, logic, muffins and tea. An AU story, semi-spoof. Try to wrap your brain around that description!


_A one shot, pretty much fluff, due to a strange whim. _

_I of course, own nothing of value in this endevour. Other then the fingers that typed this._

_ I actually rather value my fingers._

_BBC owns everything else._

_(Fixed a few of the errors due to writing/posting this late at night)_

**Self-Image**

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Peri nervously wandered about the hall, uneasily shifting her grip on the tray. He'd been positively _sulking_ for days. "Doctor?" She tried to balance the tray on her upper arm so she could knock on the door.

The metal tray wobbled dangerously as she knocked a little more insistently. "_Really_, Doctor. Can't you just let me in? I-I-I brought you food and some tea. It's going to get _cold_, Doctor."

"No, no, _no_! Go away, Peri! This is all_ your_ fault!" His voice was still angry. Peri sniffled, half-ready to scream, half-ready to burst into tears.

"I didn't _know_, Doctor! I _said_ I was sorry..." She kicked the toe of her shoe into the metal, "Please, open up, you can't just go on-"

"I can do what I _like_, Miss Brown!" He shouted, his child-like stubbornness echoing through the halls.

Peri wondered if it was worth the trouble to try again. They'd been at this same outline of conversation for _almost_ a week now. She sniffled again, "I _said_ I w-w-was sorry!" Silence was the response and Peri sighed. "You _have_ to eat. You can't just tuck away in there until the end of the universe-"

"I _can_! _And_ I just _might_ if you don't go away and let me _be_!" But, she heard movement. She was tempting him closer to the door, she had to keep talking.

"Doctor, I brought muffins too, they're uhm…" Peri really couldn't identify the large purple berries in them. "They're…"She slouched into herself a little and sighed. "Oh, I don't know what they are. But, they're muffins, and they're probably good for you. Any food about now, has to be good for you!" Her knuckle played across the door again.

"I am _not_ leaving this room." His voice sounded a little less angry then it had a few minutes ago. Peri could almost imagine the scowl he had now, but, she was-of course- expected to put up with his moods.

"You don't _need_ to leave the room. Just eat something, really, Doctor. You're acting-" She cut off her sentence, forcing herself to keep the remark to herself. "-Oh, come on, Doctor. Just take the tray, eat the food, and I'll leave you to-to-to…feel _sorry_ for yourself."

"_Sorry_ for myself? Sorry for _myself_?" The door opened, and He stood above her. "Don't, Peri! Just _don't_!"

Peri looked wide eyed at him and held the tray out. "Doctor, it's _really_ not that bad."

His eyes locked onto her, his lips tensed in a downward line. "Peri, nothing you can _say_, nothing you can _DO_ will get me to leave this room. Not until I am restored so _unreservedly_ and _entirely_ that none in all of time will be able to recall this _horrific_ humiliation!"

He reached for the tray, and Peri stepped back. "You have to come-come out and _get_ it."

"_Goodbye_!" He went back into the room, and the door shut again.

Peri had pushed too far, when he was moody, she had to mollycoddle. "Doctor, are you planning on withering away in there?"

"_Absolutely_!"

"You're hungry, I'm tired…a-a-and if you'll just _accept_ what's happened, you can eat, _I_ can sleep and we can get back to traveling." The hot pot of tea was finally causing the metal tray to burn her arm. "Doctor, this is hardly the end of the universe. I don't think it looks _too_ bad, just different."

The door opened again, and the Doctor had switched his emotions. Big blue eyes now seeking reassurance, his face dejected.

"-Maybe if I got a jacket with some _sequins_, more elegant, a little more..."

If there was anything Peri knew, it was that this Doctor was either incredibly fond of himself, or filled with disgust. He switched between the two and it was always so hard to know _which_ was worse to deal with.

"Maybe… something with some _blue_ in it, to go with your eyes. You don't _really_ need sequins." She tried to sound cheerful, and hoped to heaven he wouldn't go near any clothing with glitter on it.

She held out the tray, and he seemed to be too far down the track on this train of thought. So, she had no choice, but, to follow after him. "You know, in all honesty, it _is_ a nice color. I-I-I didn't know that this-"

"-Yes! But, _I_ know, Peri. Still….to have to gaze at _this_ every day!" He was getting into a mood again.

Peri uncertainly reached up and fluffed some curly tendrils near his forehead. "Maybe you just have to give it a _chance_, Doctor."

He seemed disconcerted by her sudden familiarity with his hair. "Peri, _what_ are you doing?"

"I-I'm showing you how nice it is. See that?" Her hands retreated, and his brows furrowed.

"Do you _really_ like it?"

"Sure. People on my planet do this all the time"

"Really…? Well, _Time Lord's_ don't! This is incredibly disconcerting! _You_ can't possibly understand, Peri!"

"It's _different_. But, not such a _bad_ different. Besides, you'd look nice even if…if… it matched your _coat_." Not that the current colour was far off one of the panels on his jacket. She smiled, hoping a little jibe would help. She had a hard time telling if he would laugh things off,_ or_ if she would raise his ire and be treated badly for the next month.

"Chemicals from some god-forsaken alien planet dye my lovely hair, and you can only make _jokes_ about it? You think it's _funny_, hmmm, Peri? You think this is a laughing matter?"

"Doctor!" She was beginning to get sick of his defensiveness, and was going to retaliate this time. "You have _two_ choices: sit in here and rot, or, accept it was an accident an-an-and move on, wait for it to _grow back_!"

He looked at her incredulously. "Peri, this is _completely_ uncharted territory for me! I have to contemplate my _options_ before leaping into anything. _Remember _Peri, discre-"

"-'Discretion is the better part of valour.'I _know_. But, the whole universe is out there while you skulk about your current hair colour!" She crossed her arms and waited.

He sighed, pulling a lock taunt to gaze at it's freshly dyed shine. "Alright! I don't need _you_ to tell me thing I am well aware of!"

"Then what are you going to do?" Peri sat on the dusty bed across from him. He scowled, and reached for a muffin, seeming not to really think about the gesture. Peri wasn't about to have him send her from the room, so she got to her feet and snatched a muffin as well.

"I _think_, Peri. I think we shall have to _shave it off_."

"_What_?!" Peri coughed on her first bite of the bakery good and tried to keep from sending crumbs across the room.

"Take this as a sign of _renewal_. Refreshing from the trails past, a _cleansing_ if you will…" He was on a second muffin already, and He settled onto the bed where Peri had sat.

Peri finally cleared her windpipe and poured some of the tea into a cup. She hated the brew, but, she needed to wash away the feeling in her throat. Her sip of the tea was only momentary, before the Doctor's hand reached up and he pulled the cup down.

Sipping her tea, he continued.

"Perhaps this shall be a _new age_ for me. Something of a turn-around, -_for the better of course_-with your help, Peri-"

"_Me_? What in the world do I have to do with this, Doctor?" Peri hoped he was not going to expect her to shave her head as well.

"_You_? _You_ will have to be the one to cut it off! _I_ certainly don't know anything about that sort of thing. It kind of…maintains itself!" He motioned to the curls on his head, and gave her a look as if she was the stupidest creature in the galaxy.

"Oh." The responsibility was already making her jittery. He'd never forgive her if she messed up somehow. "Wait just a _minute_, Doctor! Have you even thought what you would look like bald? You'd look _awful_!"

"My _dear _Peri, there's _no_ other _reasonable_ option! I certainly can't save the universe with _this_ hair!"

"I don't think it's too bad. _Really_, Doctor-" Peri wouldn't be able to ever leave the TARDIS with a _bald _Doctor in his mismatched quilt of a coat. She'd be blushing red as a rose at the sheer _absurdity_ of his appearance.

Peri leaned down, his teacup was to his mouth, but, he watched her with wary eyes. She touched the ringlet that was in the center of the messy bangs. He seemed to calm a little, and allowed himself to continue sipping the tea.

"I think it's a _lovely_ colour. I think you should keep it." Peri gave him a small smile, and continued touching his hair. "It could use a trim, would you like me-"

"No. _No_, I think… I rather like it..." His tone was a little softer then usual. Peri looked down at him, and he seemed intent on staring at something just out of the corner of his sight. He was ignoring her.

Peri drew her hand away a little, and he rose his eyebrows. "Hmm?" A distracted noise came from his throat, and he blinked, looking up at her.

"What did you say, Peri?"

"Nothing, Doctor." Peri tucked her hands at her side.

"_Oh_. Well, a decision has been made!" He announced, taking a dramatic pause to sip from the china cup. "I am going to _wear _this hair, even if it means my _demise_! Perhaps even a change of clothing for this new appearance! What do you think, Peri? Something with _blue_ in it?" He put the cup down, and sat with an ever-so-slightly-pleased smile on his face.

Both of his hands rested on his knees, and he looked up at Peri. "That _is _what you wanted to hear, is it _not_, Peri?"

"I-I-I…"

"So, if that means _I'm_ keeping the hair. The real question _is_, will _you_ somehow manage to keep your hands out of it?" A twinkle in his eye matched his smirk.

Peri blushed. "I-I-I'll manage, Doctor."

He stood suddenly, and tilted his head a little, reaching up swiftly, and running his hands from the scalp down to the tips of her hair. Leaving it hanging in her face.

"I don't see what you get from _that_." He rolled his eyes. "I don't think I'll _ever_ understand you humans fascination with your appearance."

Peri blew the hair from her lips. "Y-y-you _liked_ when I touched your hair."

He looked indignant. "I most _certainly_ did _not_, Miss Brown!"

Peri nibbled at the remainder of her muffin, he was fingering the edge of his hair line again. Peri reached up with her hand and matched the motion on the other side of his neck. He blinked down at her, and he stopped the motion.

"What are you _doing_?"

"Playing with your _hair_, Doctor." Peri said in a jovial tone, daring him to stop her. He placed his hands on his hips, and waited.

Peri took the opportunity to trace further, on to the coarser fuzz in-front of his ear. She noticed his eyes drifting closed. He _liked_ her playing with his hair, Peri smirked.

His face was neutral, Peri wondered if she snapped her fingers if he would break out of a trance. She lolled her nails across the front again, and watched a him _pretend_ that he didn't enjoy the attention.

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_Gah! I am getting odd in my old age. This is rather pointless, and somehow fluffy. _

_This leaves you free to choose his current colour!!!  
_

_I can explain a little, I watched a Youtube Video of someone asking to mess with David Tennant's hair. I guess that and a 6th Doctor episode, (Which made me appreciate Peri *Mel makes me want to gag*) resulted in this strange little scene. _

_Pretty sure it's a one-shot. Hope you enjoyed, reviews are welcome, I'd love to hear what you have to say!  
_


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